Circulation-regulating means for driers



F. G. SARGENT CIRCULATION REGULATIG MEANS FOR DRIERS Filed March 5, 1922i: li: 15 24 e5 24 15 24 24h/alud?? g Il n l ,l ll l 1 Smm PatentedDec.. 4, 1923.

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FREDERICK G. SARGENT, O FWESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, SSEGNOR T0 C. G. SAR-GENTS SCNS CORPORATION, A CORPCRATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

.application led March 3, 1922.

To all whom t may concern:

lle it known that L Fnnnemoii G. SAR- onxr, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at lVestford in the county of Middlesex e and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Circulation-RegulatingMeans for Driers, of 'which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a drier tor lila-ous materials, such ascotton, Wool and the like. f

'l`he principal objects of the invention are to provide means connectedwith each partition in the'drier for-regulating the direction ot thecirculation of air through the sections adjacent thereto; to providedampers for regulating the intake of air for one or more sections, andvariable means extending longitudinally of each section for controllingthe circulation ot' air from the coil heating box into the top of thedrier and.

combined with means for regulating the recirculation ofthe air downthrough the coil box; and to provide means whereby-.the latter twodevices are connected to operate iu unison so that ywhen the air isadmitted from the drier into the top of the coil box it will beprevented from going into the coil box from the exterior. advantages ofthe invention will appear hereinafter.

l'let'erenre is to be had to the accompanying dra\vings,' in which vFig. l is av plan of a drier comprising a plurality ot endless apronswith a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the same partly inv section, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 ot' Fig. 1.

As stated l have shown the invention as applied to a drier of Jthat typein which a plurality of endless aprons 10, 11 and l2 ol' open meshmaterial are used to convey the loose fibrous material through the drierfrom one end to the other, and in which the air is caused to circulateup through the aprons with the liber on them by means oi one or morefans 13. These aprons are located in a long main body 14: constitutingthe principal part ot the drier, and'this body is divided up b v aplurality7 of partitions 15 having openings throng them for the apronsand their contents so as to protitl Further objects andCIECULATION-REGULATING MEANS FOR DRIERS.

Serial (No, 540,892.

vide compartments in which the air can be made to circulate in anydesired Way.

At one side of the main body 14C is a compartment 16 in which the fansare located with their driving shafts. These fans in the present formare at the bottom and they torce air through the side up through theaprons and up through the outlet 18. ln the upper part ol. thecompartment 16 are coils of pipes 17 for the circulation of steam forheatingpurposes. This compartment 16 is usually called the coil box. Asso far described this drier is of a well known type.

For the admission of air into the drier from outside, l provide one ormore openings 21 controlled by pivoted dampers 20. 'lhese are locatedalong the top of the outer Wall of the coil box 16. They'constitute theonly openings in the present instance through which the air is admittedfrom the outer atmosphere to the drier. The air drawn in in this Wav isdrawn immediately down through the pipe coils 179 heated and forced upby the fans through the material to be dried as the arrows indicate.

l have also provided a series of passages 22 like the openings 21 overthe Walls 23 which separate the main body 14e from the coil box 16.These are controlled hy a plurality of dampers 24 parallel with. thedampers 20. lll/hen these dampers 2d are opened some ot' the air drawnup through the aprons will be directed back into the compartment 16 anddown between the steam pipes l? to be heated again, its moistureevaporated, and forced back up through the material to be dried. Eachdamper 20 is exactly opposite a damper 24 of the same height and length.in pairs and the dampeis of each pairare connected with each other by anoperating rod 25. lach ot these operating rods is connected with a leveror handle 26 tor operating it. and the connection is such that thesedainpeis 2() and 24 are operated in unison. lll/hen the damper 20 isclosed and the damper 2l is open, the current of air coming rdownthrough thecoil box necessitates the drawing in ot the air trom theupper part of the main drying chamber lil7 ln other words, they arearranged i aty but when air is desired to be drawln in the others, butusually they .are operated so as to work together..

In order to regulate the conditions in the several sections of thedriers separated by the vertical transverse partitions 15, I' haveprovided atthe top of each of them a space y or opening adapted to becontrolled by a transverse damper 27. This is pivoted and arranged likethe others and can be operated in any desired way. These dampers 27 areusually closed whenthe dampers 24 are open because then it is notdesired that the air in the top ofl each compartment shall pass outthrough the outlet 18.

By the use of aregulating arrangement of this character the circulationof the air in the drier is under the control of the operator at alltimes, and he can use the air over and over as many times as can be donebefore it becomes' saturated, thus introducing a material economy in theuse ofthe heat which is applied, and this action-can be regulated in anyway that proves to be vdesirable so as to avoid waste of the heat inevaporating too much moisture from the air at times. Although I haveillustrated and described only a single form of the invention I 'lamaware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any personskilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention asexpressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to allthe details of construction herein .shown and de-A scribed, but what Ido claim is 1. In a drier, the combination of a main enclosed casing,means therein for conveying the material to be dried, agsteam coil,means for forcing the air from-the steam coil through the drier, meanswhereby the air to be circulated through the steam coil can be drawninto it either fronithe exterior or from the space over the aprons inthe drier, and means for preventing the air entering rom either wheneverit is permitted to enter from the other. l

2. In a drier, .theV4 combination of 'a main' enclosed casing, a seriesof endless aprons therein for conveying the material to be dried, asteam coil box, means for forcing the air from the steam coil box,through the aprons in the drier, a pair of sets of air inlets along thetops of the walls or partitions, one of which sets separates the drierproper from the coil box,` and the other of which constitutes theexterior wall of said coil box,

and means for simultaneously operating the two dampers of a pair toclose one when the other is open.

3. In a drier, the combination of a 'main enclosed casing or frame, aseries of endless aprons therein for conveying the material to bedried,a steam coil box for heating the drier, means for forcing the airfrom the steam coil box up through the aprons in the drier, meanswhereby the air to be circulated through the steam coils can be drawninto them either from the exterior or from the space over the aprons inthe drier, said main drier being provided with transverse partitions fordividing it into sections, an outlet from one of said sections, a seriesof openings at the top of said partitionst'or permittingcirculation ofair from all of them to said outlet, and dampers over said partitionsfor closing the openings and forcing the air to go back through the coilbox.

4:. In a drier, the combination of a series c of aprons therein forconveying the material to be dried, a steam coil box, means for forcingthe air from the steam coil through the drier, said "main drier beingprovided with transverse partitions for dividing it into sections, anoutlet from one of said sections,

a series of openings at the top of saidpartitions for permittingcirculation of air from all of them to said outlet, and dampers oversaid partitions for closing the openings and forcing the air to go backthrough the coil box.

In testimony whereofl I have hereunto aHixed my signature.

y FREDERICK G. SARGENT.

